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Lot Essay
Hermann David Solomon Corrodi was fortunate to have grown up in an artistic family, having first acquired his artistic training in his father's studio in Geneva and subsequently at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Corrodi was an extremely prolific artist and through his numerous commissions from the British and Austro-Hungarian royals he quickly gained international acclaim. His marriage to an Italian aristocrat afforded him the pleasure of spending summers in Rome and winters in Baden-Baden where he received numerous commissions. Corrodi was a voracious traveler and his paintings cover a wide range of subject matter from the capitals of Europe to the deserts of the Middle East and Africa. In the 1880s he embarked on a trip to Eygpt, Syria, Cyprus and Constantinople.
Corrodi's remarkable ability to capture on canvas a snapshot of the hustle and bustle of the daily life of the souks, markets and streets, made his Orientalist subjects among his most highly sought after works. Many artists, including John Frederick Lewis and Charles Robertson, found the environment of a carpet market with its exotic textures, bright colors and bustling halls an attractive subject matter. (fig. 1) In the present work, Corrodi cleverly positions the viewer's vantage point to originate from the archway just outside the courtyard thereby drawing the viewer's gaze into the carpet market where vendors display their merchandise. The American painter George Henry Hall used the archway leading to a carpet shop to take advantage of the play of light and shadow (fig. 2). Caroline Juler writes of Corrodi that his 'technique is remarkable for the subdued and meticulous gradations of colour, his games with shadow and light, and his inspirational subjects, as much abstract as narrative' (C. Juler, Les Orientalistes de l'Ecole Italianne, Paris, 1994, p. 66). Juler's comments most aptly apply to The Carpet Merchants where the artist displays his exceptional talent in handling composition and color. The earthy colors of the architecture are interjected with powerful reds and blues of the carpets which hang from the walls. Corrodi captures the merest changes in texture beautifully through his elegant gradations in tone and color.
(fig. 1) Charles Robertson, The Bazaar Khan El-Khaleelee, Cairo, photo courtesy of Mataf Gallery, London.
(fig. 2) George Henry Hall, The Rug Bazaar, photo courtesy of Mark Borghi & Co., New York.
Corrodi's remarkable ability to capture on canvas a snapshot of the hustle and bustle of the daily life of the souks, markets and streets, made his Orientalist subjects among his most highly sought after works. Many artists, including John Frederick Lewis and Charles Robertson, found the environment of a carpet market with its exotic textures, bright colors and bustling halls an attractive subject matter. (fig. 1) In the present work, Corrodi cleverly positions the viewer's vantage point to originate from the archway just outside the courtyard thereby drawing the viewer's gaze into the carpet market where vendors display their merchandise. The American painter George Henry Hall used the archway leading to a carpet shop to take advantage of the play of light and shadow (fig. 2). Caroline Juler writes of Corrodi that his 'technique is remarkable for the subdued and meticulous gradations of colour, his games with shadow and light, and his inspirational subjects, as much abstract as narrative' (C. Juler, Les Orientalistes de l'Ecole Italianne, Paris, 1994, p. 66). Juler's comments most aptly apply to The Carpet Merchants where the artist displays his exceptional talent in handling composition and color. The earthy colors of the architecture are interjected with powerful reds and blues of the carpets which hang from the walls. Corrodi captures the merest changes in texture beautifully through his elegant gradations in tone and color.
(fig. 1) Charles Robertson, The Bazaar Khan El-Khaleelee, Cairo, photo courtesy of Mataf Gallery, London.
(fig. 2) George Henry Hall, The Rug Bazaar, photo courtesy of Mark Borghi & Co., New York.